Overly sterile?

Drinks at a typical Singapore outdoor bar.

Singapore is, as we mentioned, incredibly clean and sterile yet full of everything western that one could need. The food and the ability for shopping is a welcome break from the struggles that we go through trying to get our point across in Xiamen, but somehow it is just missing something. We think it may just be the people, as there isn't that overbearing friendliness that we've gotten used to. We went to a seafood restaurant that had been recommended from a friend in Xiamen only to find that it was a Chinese restaurant. Ah, we felt, this is nice, and then we proceeded to do our now standard practice of butchering their language and learning new words. Last night we learned how to say crab, "pang xie". And the black pepper crab that we had was outstanding...

Happy Irish pub, but a Guinness is more than an Absolute & tonic.

But, we are enjoying the wealth of pubs and outdoor bars that can be found in this city. Between the bars, the clean restrooms, and the food selection it is a good break from the grittiness and chaos that we've been living in, but we are also really looking forward to getting back to Xiamen.